On the doctrine of poisons- So many things have to come together for scientific

thinking to originate; and all these necessary strengths had to be invented, practiced and cultivated separately. As long as they were still separate, however, they frequently had an altogether different effect than they do now that they are integrated into scientific thinking and hold each in check. Their effect was that of poisons; for example, that of the impulse to doubt, to negate, to wait, to collect, to dissolve. Many hecatombs of human beings were sacrificed before these impulses learned to comprehend their coexistence and to feel that they were all functions of one organizing force within one human being. And even now the time seems remote when artistic energies and the practical wisdom of life will join with scientific thinking to form a higher organic system in relation to which scholars, physicians, artists, and legislators- as we know them at present-would have to look like paltry relics of ancient times. ([1887] 1974:173) Nietzsche

Time for mankind to understand the nature of its new situation.

Unification of scientific method with "artistic energies and the

practical wisdom of life.“

Nietzsche

VALUES - such as equality, freedom, democracy, science and

secular rationality, and the ultimate worth of every single

individual- appear to have grown stronger, not only within

sociology but also throughout contemporary society.

A SCIENTIFIC METHOD FOR SOCIOLOGY

1. Definition of the Problem

Figure 1-1.

The invisible crisis: the escalating gap

between expectations and fulfillment.

2. High Level of Abstraction

1.The quality of dealing with

ideas rather than events.

2.Something that exists only as

an idea.

the process of formulating generalized ideas or

concepts by extracting common qualities from

specific examples

Concepts that are linked together systematically rather than employed in isolation

from one another.

Social Science

Literature

As we move down lines of longitude reaching from the North Pole to the equator

within the northern hemisphere, we are also moving down language’s ladder of

abstraction from concepts that are very abstract to concepts that are very concrete. This movement works in the same way for the physical and biological sciences and the social sciences.

Physical & Biological Science

Similarly, the South Pole represents a high level of abstraction for literary concepts, and movement up to the equator is movement to concepts at a low level of abstraction.

For example, within sociology we might move from ”social stratification”- defined broadly enough to encompass racism, classism, ageism, sexism, and ethnocentrism-to the concept of racism between blacks and whites in American society, and still further down, black-white

Social Science

Literature

racism within American society after the Civil War. Within physics we might have concepts

like "force" at the North Pole-defined broadly enough to include the force of gravity along with mechanical and other forces-and the force of gravity of objects in free fall near the earth still further down.

Physical & Biological Science

No actual phenomena are

depicted at the equator, but only concepts at a very low level of linguistic abstraction.

Social Science

Literature

Physical & Biological Science

Literature, by contrast, does not emphasize technical terms but communicates with ordinary language. And ordinary language is also organized by levels of abstraction, such as "human being" at the South Pole, "men" closer to the

equator, and "Hamlet" at the equator. And literature with its metaphors can

illustrate the power of language to jump from the concrete to the abstract.

A web of sociological concepts

"group" includes "community," "ethnic group,“ "race," and "social class." And "label" along with "social stratification“

”Occupations” are related to “bureaucracy,” ”social stratification,” and “group.” ”Role” and ”sex roles” are linked to ”norms” and ”values” as well as ”group” and ”institutions.”

"authority," "power," "caste system," and "class consciousness are linked to "social stratification" and "bureaucracy" along with the political and economic "institutions." "Ecology" is related to "physical structure'' and "population" along with "race" and "gender" to "biological structure.'' "Emotions" are linked to "values," "relative deprivation,“ "reinforcement," and "alienation." "Law" and "crime" are tied to ”norm,” “value,” ”conformity,” and ”deviance.”